Circle of Changes
by Heart of the Lullaby
Summary: Jonas has gone around in a cirlce, and found his old community, that has changed. He is now learning to deal with all the changes, with his friends and family, and most importantly...the Giver. But to his dismay, adjusting is not as easy as he thought.
1. Chapter 1

He had woken up to Gabe's whimpering in his arms. He was lying on his back, in the freezing cold snow. He felt woozy. He thought he had seen Christmas lights. He thought he had seen houses with Christmas trees in the window. He thought he had seen love.

He looked up again, and there it was. He had found Elsewhere, no doubt about it. He took the now screaming Gabe in his arms, and led him to a house that looked friendly and warm. He knocked timidly on the door. A little 9-year-old had opened it. She looked so familiar to Jonas.

"J-j-JONAS?!" She said in surprise. A huge grin spread across her face,"GABE?!"

Before Jonas could speak, the little girl ran excitedly down the hall, calling her mom and dad to come to the door. His mom and Lily came in the door, yelling, and crying, and hugging and kissing Jonas. Jonas had no clue how to react. No doubt, there was his mom and his sister right there. They weren't wearing gray tunics; his mom a red shirt and nice pants, and his sister, a green dress. From what he could see, they lived in a house like in his most treasured memory. There was snow on the ground, and Christmas lights on every house. He was so confused, he had no clue what to even say.

"What a wonderful present, Mom! Jonas and Gabe came back!" Lily said, excited. His mom happily nodded her head. Jonas looked at them fearfully, though he didn't know why.

Then suddenly, "What is all this commotion? Who's here again, Lily?" soon, he saw a familiar silhouette, coming closer and closer. It was his dad. His eyes widened, and his mouth formed an O, the picture-perfect surprised look.

He didn't care. He had absolutely no clue what was going on, but he knew that no matter what, he would never forgive his dad about what he had done to the twin Newchild. He saw at his father eyeing Gabriel, Lily trying to take Gabe into her arms to hold him. He pulled Gabe closer to him, and sprinted as fast he could away from his family's house. He slid down another hill, winded around a corner, ending up under a bridge. He panted, trying to catch his breath. This all made no sense……or did it?

**My first Giver fanfic, so please, constructive criticism, and no flames. I will try and update ASAP**

**--Maddie**


	2. Chapter 2

What if……he had gone in a circle

What if……he had gone in a circle? What if this was his old community, and with the help of him and The Giver, the community changed for the better? If so, where was the Giver, where was Asher and Fiona?

Suddenly, pondering all this, a tall man was towering over him," Can I sit down with you, Jonas?" it was his father.

"N-n-o. No, you can't sit here, Dad," Jonas cried out, tears about to pour out. He didn't think he was ever going to forgive him to what he did to the poor twin. Even if the community did change, he still might have some of his old roots deep inside.

"Jonas. I know what I did was wrong now. First of all, I lied to you, which I shouldn't have done. Second, and most importantly, I killed someone for all the wrong reasons, and I know better now."

Jonas stared at his father uncertainly. They just stood there in awkward silence, Jonas didn't know quite what to say.

"What exactly happened while I was gone?" he finally asked.

"After you left, the memories from long ago all came back to us. We were all terrified at these memories. We had no clue what they meant, and some even gave us terrible pain. The Receiver helped us with these memories, and molded us into a community that you now see in front of you. He even gave us some new memories, some good, some bad; but they all helped into re-building this community in the end." His dad explained.

"Where is the Giver—I mean…the Receiver," The title felt weird on Jonas's tongue, after always calling him the Giver.

Jonas's father looked at him in a sympathetic way, "Ummm Jonas….he died. He had finally given us the last memory we needed. It was called music. Suddenly, we heard beautiful music all throughout the community. Then, a white light surrounded him, and he gracefully fell to the ground. Even though it was horrible tragedy, it was almost like a miracle in a way…"

Jonas's eye filled up with tears. No more Giver? He wish he had found Elsewhere and never saw the Giver again. Anything but this. It would have saved him so much pain and suffering if he had gone his whole life without knowing this. He wanted to curl up and die, right then and there.

He took his father's hand, and let him carry Gabriel. He led them toward his new home.

His mother and Lily were all happy to see them, but he couldn't even muster a smile. His father handed Gabe to his mother, and led him up the stairs to a room with a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf filled with books, and a cushy bean-bag chair.

"This is your room, Jonas," his father said seriously.

"Thanks. I like it," Jonas said, not really meaning it.

"It's Christmas Eve tonight, Jonas. You know what Christmas is, right?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Do you think maybe you would like to come downstairs with the rest of us for a little dinner? I'm sure Mom and Lily would really like that."

"Sorry, no thanks. You have no idea……" Jonas couldn't even complete the sentence. He felt like he was suffocating.

"I understand, Jonas. You take your time getting over this. Seeing as the Receiver trained you and all, I completely understand why you feel this way."

There, he felt it. He felt his father had changed for the better. He was an entirely different person. It was hard to explain, but Jonas felt he didn't seem fake when he said this. He meant what he said, and his words felt genuine. It was the first tingle of happiness he felt since he had gotten here. He had helped him change.

"Yes, we did help him change and many other people, Jonas. Thank you," He turned around to see the Giver's wrinkly face, smiling tenderly. Jonas almost screamed, his heart beating so loud, he wondered if the Giver could hear it, about to beat out of his chest.

"Yes, the beating of your heart is pretty loud, now that you mention it," the Giver said with a laugh.

"This is just a hallucination! I know it! You're not really here! Or maybe all of this is just a dream or something. This can't be real!" Jonas cried out, scared.

"Jonas, this is real. You've missed out on a lot," before he could ask a question, the Giver continued, "and I'm going to fill you in."


	3. Chapter 3

"You can't just…

"You can't just…..this isn't…..but…..you're dead!" Jonas cried out.

"Well, yes. I am. But that doesn't mean that I can't be an angel, or a ghost," The Giver said, giving Jonas a wry smile.

Jonas laughed. He knew what an angel and ghost were. He could hardly picture the Giver in long, white robes and a halo. But then again, he was all that an angel was. He helped lead a whole community back to the old ways.

"Enough of that. After you left, as your dad said, the community was terrified. I helped them with these memories, like I helped you. They were like you. They saw this community was horrible and wrong. The Council of Elders were mad that you and I teamed up to go against everything they created. Well, they left the community in frustration, hoping to go to another community. We don't know where they are, but we hope they don't form an alliance with another community, and they will rebel against us. But anyway, I found out how to give them the other memories. I found that if I concentrated hard, harder than ever before, I could transmit them from my mind to every soul in the community's mind. It caused so much more pain, but I needed to do it."

"Ummm….Giver, that's nice and all, but why did you have to die?!" Jonas asked, his patience wearing thin.

"Well. I was visited by an angel one night. She told me that in order fulfill this prophecy, I will need to die soon. Before I could ask questions, she disappeared. One afternoon, the whole community was gathered in the auditorium. I was up on stage, giving them the one last memory they needed: music. Suddenly, I heard wonderful music and collapsed to the ground. Darkness, and God welcomed me into heaven." God? Who was God? Jonas thought. Then, suddenly, a memory came into his mind, and he suddenly understood. What?! But the Giver had never given him this memory.

"With my death, the community was safe. It was not like before. They knew of everything I taught them, but they were safely guarded war. But they still had hate, pain, guilt, lying….et cetera. With my death, also brought understanding. You are new, and was not here while I was helping the community through this long process. Everyone new is suddenly filled with the understanding of all the memories."

"You mentioned God, and I saw a memory, and understood." Jonas said.

"Yes, Jonas. It works just like that," the Giver said, laughing.

Jonas blinked. When he opened up his eyes again, the Giver was gone.

Suddenly, a knock on the door sent his heart pounding, "Uhhh….come in," he said, sudden adrenaline rushing through him.

His mom entered the room, "I thought you were asleep. I came up here to check on you, but I heard you talking. Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, um….no one, no one. J-just you….you know…..myself," he stuttered. What a stupid answer, he thought to himself. His mother eyed him suspiciously. She wasn't buying it, "I can't sleep. Just…..so many changes."


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, he got his mom out of the room, saying no, he didn't want to come downstairs and have dessert with Dad and Lily, and yes, he'll be fine, and he'll get some sleep

Finally, he got his mom out of the room, saying no, he didn't want to come downstairs and have dessert with Dad and Lily, and yes, he'll be fine, and he'll get some sleep.

Ha, what a lie. After he could hear her going downstairs, he opened his window, and carefully climbed out. He needed a walk to clear his mind.

The community wasn't the same. He didn't know his way very well. They added lots of new things. Something called a shopping center, something called a movie theater, and so much more

He walked, enjoying the solitude. Finally, he wandered over to the part that remained the same: the river. He walked along the path until he got to a trail. "This is probably a bad idea," he said to himself, and shrugged, going in anyway, curious.

He heard laughter…Fiona's laugh. He ran, following the sound. He tripped over a tree root. He landed with a hard thud that knocked the wind out of him, landing face-first into the cold snow. He looked up to see Asher and Fiona…..kissing.

Fiona and Asher's eyes both opened, darting to Jonas.

"Jonas?!" Asher stared in disbelief.

"Jonas!" Fiona cried, breaking free of Asher, and ran over to Jonas, hugging him tightly. She was crying, big loud gasps. He took it all in. He smiled and didn't let go. He liked this. Obviously, there were no more rules about only hugging people inside your family unit. "You…..came….back," she finally managed to say.

Asher glared at him angrily. Fiona suddenly glanced back at Asher. She broke away. "Aren't you happy to see Jonas?" she asked Asher excitedly.

"Yeah, real happy," Asher said sarcastically.

Jonas looked at Fiona's face saddening.

"Fiona is my girlfriend," he said to Jonas.

"Oh," Jonas said. It's all he could think of. Even though he was suddenly quiet on the outside, he was screaming on the inside. He was so mad at himself for taking a walk.

Asher suddenly grabbed Fiona's hand pulling her away from Jonas, "If you knew what was best for you, you better stay off my girl."

"Hey! He's my friend! And he's yours too, remember?" Fiona said, steaming. If only he knew….

"No, not anymore," he replied bitterly. He looked over at Jonas, "Sorry, and no, I don't accept your apology."

He walked away, Fiona running after him, "Asher, please. You should forgive him. You guys were best friends!" Fiona said, her eyes filling with tears.

Jonas finally mustered up the courage to ask Fiona, "What have I done wrong?"

Fiona slowed, and turned to face Jonas. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Then, her green eyes glistened with tears. She turned away, and ran to find Asher.

This was the community Jonas always wanted…but it wasn't all it was cracked up to be, so far. His family was nice, and he knew it for real this time, but they felt like strangers to him. The Giver had died, and just spoken to Jonas, and disappeared suddenly. And now this. He didn't know why Asher was being so mean to him, and it felt weird that his two best friends had feelings for each other. He hated to admit it, but he was jealous of Asher. He had Fiona and Jonas didn't.


	5. Chapter 5

This isn't happening, Fiona thought, running through the forest, trying to find Asher

_This isn't happening, _Fiona thought, running through the forest, trying to find Asher. She had cried herself to sleep every night because of Jonas, and how he left. She wanted so badly to tell him thank you for the new community, and most importantly…how she always felt something for him. She never understood what she felt until she had that one talk with the Giver about Jonas, and what she felt was love. She only became Asher's girlfriend to ease the pain, knowing that she would probably never see Jonas again and knew she had to get over him.

But seeing him in the forest was a nightmare. She was just starting to get over Jonas, Asher was mad at him and she hadn't a clue why, and Jonas's returning wasn't like the ones in her dreams. It was just all wrong.

Finally, a hysterical Fiona had finally found Asher.

"What is your problem, Asher? Jonas is your best friend!" Fiona shrieked.

"Was my friend, Fiona, was," Asher said.

"Why?"

Asher whipped around,"Because! He acted weird for months! He didn't even tell me what was going on when I asked him what was so wrong with what we were doing! He left without saying goodbye! Is that what you call a best friend, Fiona?" Asher snarled in her face.

Even though Fiona was scared to death, she kept her ground, "Actually, Asher, I do. He didn't tell you what was going on because he knew you wouldn't understand! Plus, he wasn't even allowed to talk about his training in the first place! And how can you say that? He needed to leave the community without telling anyone! If he told you, he'd be released and the community would still be the same."

Asher grabbed Fiona, and pulled her close, "I knew it, Fiona. I knew it all along…you love him more," he whispered in her ear, and threw her hard against the tree behind them.

Fiona's head throbbed in pain, and made her vision blurry. Everything ached painfully, and bark dug into her cheek, blood running down her face. Soon, her eyes could take no more, and they slid shut, and she landed to the forest floor with an ear-shattering thud.

She was unconscious.


	6. Chapter 6

Jonas decided to walk back towards home. Soon enough, his family would be checking up on him, and see he's not there.

Fiona opened her eyes, and saw she was in Jonas's arms. She hugged him and held him close for yet another time, "Jonas…Jonas…Jonas…" she said, repeating his name over and over again. It was one of the things the community did while he was gone, they said his name over and over again, in remembrance of him. They would chant his name in the morning when the whole community was in the auditorium, before the Receiver gave them another memory, "What happened to you?" she said, touching his face, tracing all the scars.

"I'm fine, Fiona. What happened to you? And where's Asher? Is everything alright?"

"I….I…tripped and I fell. I was unconscious. Asher was way ahead of me to even notice," Fiona lied. She didn't want to worry Jonas. She didn't want anyone to ever know what Asher had did to her.

"Fiona...what's wrong with Asher?" he asked.

"I-I….well…I don't really…know, exactly," she lied, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"Oh. Um, so…Asher's your boyfriend now. How is that?"

"It's….ok," she said.

"Oh…I…uh…why don't we get you home, Fiona?" Jonas said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, sure. Hey…why don't you come over? My family is probably having dessert right now. "

Jonas felt overjoyed, "Yeah!" he said, then trying to sound cool, "I mean, yeah, that sounds cool."

Fiona giggled a little, "Well, come on! Let's go," she said, grabbing Jonas's hand.

"The only problem is…my parents don't know exactly where I am. I sorta needed some fresh air and everything, and so…" he trailed off.

"Well…we have telephones now. I'm sure we can just call and explain. They won't get that mad, will they?" Fiona said.

"Well, I'll take the heat if they do. It's my first night back after all…I really want to spend time with you, you know? Fiona, you're my best friend."

Fiona thought she would just die of happiness, "Yeah, you're my best friend too," she said, feeling a little light-headed.

And they trudged back to Fiona's house, hand in hand.

But Fiona couldn't help but feel guilty at the same time. She felt like Asher was spying on them. Every time she turned her head to look back, no one was there.


	7. Chapter 7

**Asher's POV**

I could hardly contain my anger. I'm Fiona's boyfriend. She became a best friend when my best friend left me. We comforted each other in our times of need. She meant the world to me.

And now she's skipping home with Jonas, hand in hand, as if I had never existed.

Jonas is supposed to be this huge saint, this prophet from God. Yeah, sure. Some prophet alright….I'm glad he left the community…he left me with Fiona. Now that he's back, I can see where this is going.

I heard Fiona giggle at a stupid joke Jonas had made, and I punched the snow on the ground beside me and grunted loudly. Damn, a little too loud. Fiona's beautiful red hair worn in a long braid, whipped around, and I saw her soft green eyes look in my direction. I hid quickly and quietly behind a bush next me.

She stopped, a weird expression on her face, "Fiona? What's wrong?" he asked.

"What's wrong?" I mimicked him barely above a whisper.

She glanced around, "Um…nothing. Everything is fine. Just thought I heard something. Let's keep going," and they resumed.

She ignored me. She flat out ignored me. She saw me for a brief second, and she shrugged it off as nothing. What is she, afraid of me? All I did was push her.

Sometimes my anger gets the best of me, sometimes I get out of control. I never meant to hurt her, and she knows that. She's seen me before, down in the depths of despair, when I really get angry. She's seen it before, she's used to it, right? I've done things to her before, and she's forgiven me, saying that it wasn't my fault, my emotions got a little out of control, that she would help me to try and get under control. Why is this any different?

Jonas is the whole reason we were brought together, and now, with him back, we're falling apart. This can't be happening. Try to bottle it up, I tell myself, and save it for later. We'll talk this out calmly. No matter what, I won't get mad. Maybe then, she'll see that I'm acting better. She'll take it as a good sign, and she'll want to be around me more. Or maybe not. No, no. Don't let this rage inside you destroy you, Asher. Don't let it control you. My head is about to explode with all these thoughts.

I couldn't stand it, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?"

And she turned around again, slowly this time, not wanting the truth, "Yeah, it's me!" too bad, she's getting it.

She runs toward me. I hold out my arms, hoping she'll run into me. She stops, and she gently takes my hands and lowers my arms. Then, she tries to let her hand fall away softly, like if she did it that way, I wouldn't notice. Tough luck. I gripped her hand harder, and she winced.

"Asher, stop," Jonas suddenly appeared beside her. What is he, her bodyguard?

"Stay out of it. Go home, Jonas."

"Let go," he said firmly. Oh! I'm so scared!

All these thoughts rushing through my mind, too much to bear, too much pressure. This is making my brain hurt, make it stop, make it stop! I threw her to the ground.

Jonas stared at me in shock, "Are you crazy??"

"I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!" I repeated over and over again. I am crazy. I just threw my girlfriend to the ground. I am crazy. I repeat this reassure myself that I'm not. I just have an anger issue I'm working on.

"Nobody does this to their girlfriend," and he knelt down next to Fiona, on the verge of tears. How could I have done this?

"What I do to my girlfriend is none of your business! Get out of here!" Inside I was silently praying that he would obey. No such luck. Yeah, there's really a God up there.

"No, I don't trust you," he said, helping Fiona up, Fiona clutching him nervously.

"What are you afraid of?" I ignored Jonas, and asked her.

She wiped the tears off her cheek with her sleeve. Then, she just stood there, opening her mouth, then closing it. Finally she said something in a shaky whisper, something I couldn't understand, "What's that?"

"You!" she shrieked, breaking into huge sobs.

"Uhh…I'll just go…you know, over there," he said pointing, and running to a nearby tree. Finally, a little space.

"Why me, Fiona? Why me? You love me!" how could she do this to me?

"No, I don't, Asher. You hurt me all the time," she said, pulling her sleeves, showing me scars running down her arms. She lifted up her dress a bit, showing other scars.

"I didn't do that," I couldn't have done that. I would never do this. She has to be lying.

"Yes, you did. Don't lie," she said, her nostrils flaring. Flaring at me? I never did anything! She must have done this to herself.

I try to console myself, try to deny the truth, but it's not working. Time for a better plan, "I don't mean to do this kind of stuff, you know that. I just…get out of control. You know that, I know you do."

"Ash, you've been saying you're working on it for the past couple of months now, but you haven't shown any improvement. I can't stand anymore of this!"

"I'm sure everyone else does the same thing!"

"No, they don't. This isn't normal. You need help, serious help."

"No, I don't! I'm fine, honest! I have a little dilemma. Something I can take care of, though. I'll work harder! I'm sorry, please!" Oh please! I looked up at the sky, hoping it would swallow me up.

"You're not," tears gathered around her eyes, her mouth pursed in a thin line. Please don't say it, please, "Merry Christmas, Asher," she says, and walks away.

"Wait!" I call after her, confused, "does this mean we're broken up?"

She didn't respond. Jonas mumbled something to her, and she nodded her head, and they walked together wordlessly home.

She couldn't be breaking up with me, she couldn't. It just wasn't possible. She said she didn't love me? What the hell? Of course she did! Maybe this was all some big joke, none of this was real. Yeah, I'm on one of those weird reality TV shows where they mess around with your mind, and play this huge joke on you. This week's episode is starring Asher Manson.

Or not.

I trudge home, kicking snow all over the place, yelling and cussing.

"What a ruckus! Keep it down!" an lady opened her window, and said. I ignored her.

Dogs and cats started barking, an old man across the street agreeing with the lady who told me to quiet down.

"Aw! SHUT UP!" I shout, sick of it all.

I finally get home, to see a box on the front porch. It has my name on it, so I open it. Under all the tissue paper is a punching bag.

There's a piece of paper at the bottom:

_Use it. Take your anger out on this instead of me._

There was no signature, but I knew who it was. Fiona. Figures.

I kicked the box, and it went tumbling down the porch steps, punching bag and all.

I shredded the note into a million pieces and threw them in the air. They landed on me like snowflakes.

Couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.

**---**

**Hello! *waves, then hides* **

**I know, I know. I haven't been updating! That's because I've been very busy lately, and I haven't had inspiration for months. That's changed today though.**

** Hopefully you will see another chapter soon. In the meantime, R&R, perhaps?**

**~HOTL~**


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